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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
This was such a thoroughly enjoyable read!
The Good:
- The characters: It was really cool to read about a heroine who is already fully immersed in the Shadowhunter world when the story begins. I enjoyed Emma's character overall, although she did make a few too manystupid selfless decisions for my liking. Julian was so soft and sweet, Cristina was a really great addition (also, yay diversity!), and I adored the dynamic between the Blackthorn siblings. The jury is still out on Mark though...
- The set-up: Although the plot felt a bit slow at times, I really appreciate how this book was structured and (presumably) set up the rest of the trilogy (and maybe beyond), solving an arc while opening up lots of possibilities. Also, I loved the introduction to Kit, and I can't wait to see more of him.
- The cameos: I squealed internally (and sometimes externally) every time characters from other books popped up; it was so fun to see snippets of what the TMI gang was up to, and Jem + Emma's interactions were really great.
- Emma & Julian (until the last few chapters): Ah, the burnnnn. Clare really knows how to break both her characters' and her readers' hearts... I loved Emma and Julian's friendship and the development/realization of their love for each other throughout the novel. Although, it did feel a bit strange for Emma to so suddenly be into Julian towards the beginning of the book; the reason that it was because they had been apart for a few months and now Emma was somehow looking at him with new eyes felt a bit flimsy.
The Bad:
- Oof. That big lie/miscommunication at the end was not it.
- Plot: While everything that happened did turn out to be necessary for the story, I still feel like some places could've been cut down a little. There were a lot of parts with them just wandering around and trying to find clues, making the plot progress kind of like a roller coaster that kept dipping down before picking back up. However, this impression I have might just be due to me having to put the book aside for almost 4 months about 25% in, so I might take this back if I ever feel inclined to reread.
Overall, this was a really solid start for a trilogy, and I'm excited to see the story progress. Once I've mentally prepared myself for lots of love triangle drama, I'll definitely be picking up Lord of Shadows!
~~
Review for The Dark Artifices Book 2: Lord of Shadows (5 stars)
Review for The Dark Artifices Book 3: Queen of Air and Darkness (5 stars)
The Good:
- The characters: It was really cool to read about a heroine who is already fully immersed in the Shadowhunter world when the story begins. I enjoyed Emma's character overall, although she did make a few too many
Spoiler
Clare did a great job of making me love-hate him with the whole morally gray faerie/Shadowhunter thing, but I didn't really like how he kind of led Cristina on. Loved Diego though.- The set-up: Although the plot felt a bit slow at times, I really appreciate how this book was structured and (presumably) set up the rest of the trilogy (and maybe beyond), solving an arc while opening up lots of possibilities. Also, I loved the introduction to Kit
Spoiler
Herondale (!!) - unfortunately, I saw that version of his name somewhere before I started this book, I think because he's going to be the MC of the final series?, but the "reveal" was exciting all the same- The cameos: I squealed internally (and sometimes externally) every time characters from other books popped up; it was so fun to see snippets of what the TMI gang was up to, and Jem + Emma's interactions were really great.
- Emma & Julian (until the last few chapters): Ah, the burnnnn. Clare really knows how to break both her characters' and her readers' hearts... I loved Emma and Julian's friendship and the development/realization of their love for each other throughout the novel. Although, it did feel a bit strange for Emma to so suddenly be into Julian towards the beginning of the book; the reason that it was because they had been apart for a few months and now Emma was somehow looking at him with new eyes felt a bit flimsy.
The Bad:
- Oof. That big lie/miscommunication at the end was not it.
Spoiler
I can already feel all the unnecessary drama that will definitely be in the next book thanks to Emma's (honestly, very dumb) decision to lie to Julian. I guess I understand her reasoning (i.e. telling Julian he can't love her will just make him love her more), and it was in character for her to do something like this, but I just really, really hate this trope. While the whole pushing-your-true-love-away-without-telling-them-why-so-you-can-save-them thing worked well in TID, partly because Tessa didn't know Will that well, it feels a bit forced here. Emma and Julian are best friends, and she should know better; instead, this is just setting up for additional angst that's going to get tiring real quick. Also, not only will they be hurting each other in the process, but poor Mark will also be caught in the crossfire. I get that this all needs to happen to create a particular story or whatever, but I would have much preferred if Emma had told Julian the truth; they could've "broken up," and we still could've gotten lots of angst from a they-want-to-be-together-but-they-can't-because-it's-bad like in TMI. Instead, I'm now hesitating reading LoS (or at least, I feel like I need a break to prepare myself for lots of eye-rolling before I continue). Going into this specific series, I was really hoping that there wouldn't be a love triangle for once because Emma and Julian are so obviously made for each other, but I guess it wouldn't be a Cassandra Clare story without a love triangle. Sigh.- Plot: While everything that happened did turn out to be necessary for the story, I still feel like some places could've been cut down a little. There were a lot of parts with them just wandering around and trying to find clues, making the plot progress kind of like a roller coaster that kept dipping down before picking back up. However, this impression I have might just be due to me having to put the book aside for almost 4 months about 25% in, so I might take this back if I ever feel inclined to reread.
Overall, this was a really solid start for a trilogy, and I'm excited to see the story progress. Once I've mentally prepared myself for lots of love triangle drama, I'll definitely be picking up Lord of Shadows!
~~
Review for The Dark Artifices Book 2: Lord of Shadows (5 stars)
Review for The Dark Artifices Book 3: Queen of Air and Darkness (5 stars)
Maravilloso. Y yo que pensaba que Cassie no podia haceros sufrir mas...
DIOS MIO.
Puedo decir sin duda alguna que este libro se ha convertido en mi segundo libro fav de Cassandra Clare (clockwork princess siempre estará el primero, sorrynotsorry).
Los personajes son simplemente, fantásticos. Julian me ha gustado muchísimo, y es refrescante que sea más maduro (debido a las circunstancias) que los demás protagonistas masculinos de los demás libros. Ty y Mark no se quedan atrás, cada uno a su manera, me han enamorado.
Por otro lado Emma y Cristina son increíbles, y su amistad ha sido lo unico que no me ha hecho sufrir en este libro:'(
Los plot twist han sido flipantes, algunos me han pillado por sorpresa totalmente, y el final... MADRE MIA. Tengo sentimiento encontrados, lo he pasado fatal sólo en pensar lo que va a pasar Jules, pero por otro lado, creo que entiendo a Emma. Bueno, y que decir de Kit!!!
No puedo esperar al siguiente, aggg
PD. Y que decir que ver a Tessa, Jem, y los protas de TMI ha sido otro punto a favor, y de los grandes.
Puedo decir sin duda alguna que este libro se ha convertido en mi segundo libro fav de Cassandra Clare (clockwork princess siempre estará el primero, sorrynotsorry).
Los personajes son simplemente, fantásticos. Julian me ha gustado muchísimo, y es refrescante que sea más maduro (debido a las circunstancias) que los demás protagonistas masculinos de los demás libros. Ty y Mark no se quedan atrás, cada uno a su manera, me han enamorado.
Por otro lado Emma y Cristina son increíbles, y su amistad ha sido lo unico que no me ha hecho sufrir en este libro:'(
Los plot twist han sido flipantes, algunos me han pillado por sorpresa totalmente, y el final... MADRE MIA. Tengo sentimiento encontrados, lo he pasado fatal sólo en pensar lo que va a pasar Jules, pero por otro lado, creo que entiendo a Emma. Bueno, y que decir de Kit!!!
No puedo esperar al siguiente, aggg
PD. Y que decir que ver a Tessa, Jem, y los protas de TMI ha sido otro punto a favor, y de los grandes.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
famiglia blackthorn get back vi proteggerò io 🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺
I tried so hard to live this book but I just don’t vibe with most of the new cast. Emma is infuriating, Julian is a creep and the whole family-focused dynamic felt forced to me. I only like Cristina.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
cassie clare when i find you im going to force you to learn about freud. you keep writing the same plot over and over and it’s all sibling romance. i can’t do it anymore.
3.5 stars
The story was good and entertaining, however it just felt like the same story as other books from this series rehashed.
Also the constant use of main characters full names from previous series as well as mini biographies of them at random points in the book just took me out of the story. I love series that connect and have Easter eggs, however this was too in your face every time that it ruined the enjoyment of it
The story was good and entertaining, however it just felt like the same story as other books from this series rehashed.
Also the constant use of main characters full names from previous series as well as mini biographies of them at random points in the book just took me out of the story. I love series that connect and have Easter eggs, however this was too in your face every time that it ruined the enjoyment of it
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's series like these - expanded, expatiated, expounded - that keep you up late at night and make you wonder, how do these characters' lives end? How does their story continue?
I wasn't going to read Lady Midnight. I read The Mortal Instruments and basically skimmed through the portions of Emma and the Blackthorns. It was ridiculously boring to me and I was just like 'nope there is no way.' But after reading The Infernal Devices and immersing myself into the Shadowhunter world, I realized that The Last Hours was coming out. I realized that it was an extension of The Dark Artifices, just like TID was to TMI. Each book is woven deeply into another and hOW CAN I READ THE LAST HOURS WITHOUT READING THE DARK ARTIFICES? Crap.
After a lot of deliberation, yeah, I gave in. I WAS GOING TO READ LADY MIDNIGHT. And, wow, do I ever regret vowing not to in the first place.
The main characters are all already Shadowhunters. This was a really great move because I had already read two series where the main female character had no inkling of the Shadow World whatsoever. Dredging through the chapters of them learning all about it was boring, so having a series where Emma is already in the know about it all is great. We get set right off into the universe, which is set five years after the end of TMI. I was mildly concerned that all of the elements would be the same, and there wouldn't be any new material to cover. As Emma says, that'll teach me to make assumptions.
First, a set of parabatai (I would italicize it but I'm lazy) being the two main protagonists. There wasn't enough of Alec and Jace, Jem and Will, but here is Emma and Julian to pick up all the slack. They really show the meaning of parabatai, regardless of whether they are illegally in love or not. This line was so incredible, it is Emma talking about Julian. To me, it showed just how deep a parabatai bond went.
"She could see it on his face. To save her he would kill everyone else in the vicinity. He wouldn't think twice until it was over, when he'd wash the blood down the drain of the sink like scarlet paint. And he would not regret it."
Like, wow, talk about intense. It's not just love - it is a friendship stronger than that. Then there's the addition of Julian having been in love with Emma since forever, and then finally acting on it, and then them tearing apart at the end. Not quite sure if that was the best move, especially since the book ends with Emma and Mark (supposedly - it is really inferred) hooking up - like that is literally the last line. I wish it hadn't ended on that note, and honestly, it doesn't completely make sense. A parabatai bond strengthened by requited love can allow both partners to perform almost warlock-like magic. Why would this be a bad thing? As Jem says, people could abuse this, and Shadowhunters aren't supposed to have magic like that in the first place. But if Emma and Julian would never even consider using it for the wrong purposes, and they kept it secret, what's the problem? Why do they have to break up? Sure, you could say, "well, they might abuse it in the future," but what can you do about that? You can't predict everything. In my opinion, they should have at least stayed together in private. I understand they couldn't in public, but Emma didn't have to break it off and then attempt to shred Julian to pieces by getting together with Mark.
On the subject of Mark...I really liked him. I loved his relationship with Kieran almost as much as I love Alec and Magnus. I wish they hadn't broken up, just like Emma and Julian. I understand that he wanted to stay with his family and that he couldn't go back to the Hunt with Kieran, but (again, like aforementioned parabatai) couldn't they have stayed together in secret? Sure, it's not much of a fun life, but isn't it better than nothing, especially if you love each other like they definitely do?
We needed more Drusilla. That's just a plain fact. I was floored with the fact that Clare included Dru and her self-esteem issues - it's something that every single girl (and guy) has gone through. I have felt exactly what Dru was feeling, and I wanted more of it, and more of Emma or another girl comforting her. I wanted her to get a guy friend her age that would boost her up and make her feel special. I really do hope there is more of her in the second and third books, otherwise it's wasted character potential.
Like I said, there were new elements in this book, one of which being Livvy wanting to be parabatai with her twin, Ty. I thought that was really cool - something we hadn't seen before. Another thing was the Scholomance and the Centurions. I thought that was a bit messy, but it was still nice to know that it existed. When you start a series that takes place five years after the last, it provides loads of opportunities to bring in new themes and settings, and these were a good start to more.
In the Notes on the Text section, Clare says she grew up in LA. I'm dubious about this because sandy sex scenes seem to be a recurring theme (Clary and Jace in CoHF, anyone?) and sand is a pain. Like, I've been to countless beaches. Sand itches. It sticks and gets in every crack, crevice, and hole. Nobody would want to hook up on the beach, unless they've got some kind of sand fetish. Make it more realistic, like Tessa and Will's scene! NO MORE BEACH SCENES.
Bringing back all the original characters in the end was legit. I'll always love seeing Magnus, but I do understand that this series does not revolve around him and the other originals, and I'm cool with that. I don't want a remix - I want mildly reminiscent, and that's what I got. A Long Conversation was great, and I'd love to know if Clary ends up saying yes to Jace or not. :>>>
In the end, this was, inevitably, a great addition to the Shadowhunters series. Like I said in the beginning, it is series like these that really win. Series that have layers upon layers of plot, character development, theme, etc. Series woven with just enough complexity that you keep guessing at what is going to happen, but not so much that you're just completely lost. Everyone should read it. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book...series...fanfiction...weeeeeeee...
I wasn't going to read Lady Midnight. I read The Mortal Instruments and basically skimmed through the portions of Emma and the Blackthorns. It was ridiculously boring to me and I was just like 'nope there is no way.' But after reading The Infernal Devices and immersing myself into the Shadowhunter world, I realized that The Last Hours was coming out. I realized that it was an extension of The Dark Artifices, just like TID was to TMI. Each book is woven deeply into another and hOW CAN I READ THE LAST HOURS WITHOUT READING THE DARK ARTIFICES? Crap.
After a lot of deliberation, yeah, I gave in. I WAS GOING TO READ LADY MIDNIGHT. And, wow, do I ever regret vowing not to in the first place.
The main characters are all already Shadowhunters. This was a really great move because I had already read two series where the main female character had no inkling of the Shadow World whatsoever. Dredging through the chapters of them learning all about it was boring, so having a series where Emma is already in the know about it all is great. We get set right off into the universe, which is set five years after the end of TMI. I was mildly concerned that all of the elements would be the same, and there wouldn't be any new material to cover. As Emma says, that'll teach me to make assumptions.
First, a set of parabatai (I would italicize it but I'm lazy) being the two main protagonists. There wasn't enough of Alec and Jace, Jem and Will, but here is Emma and Julian to pick up all the slack. They really show the meaning of parabatai, regardless of whether they are illegally in love or not. This line was so incredible, it is Emma talking about Julian. To me, it showed just how deep a parabatai bond went.
"She could see it on his face. To save her he would kill everyone else in the vicinity. He wouldn't think twice until it was over, when he'd wash the blood down the drain of the sink like scarlet paint. And he would not regret it."
Like, wow, talk about intense. It's not just love - it is a friendship stronger than that. Then there's the addition of Julian having been in love with Emma since forever, and then finally acting on it, and then them tearing apart at the end. Not quite sure if that was the best move, especially since the book ends with Emma and Mark (supposedly - it is really inferred) hooking up - like that is literally the last line. I wish it hadn't ended on that note, and honestly, it doesn't completely make sense. A parabatai bond strengthened by requited love can allow both partners to perform almost warlock-like magic. Why would this be a bad thing? As Jem says, people could abuse this, and Shadowhunters aren't supposed to have magic like that in the first place. But if Emma and Julian would never even consider using it for the wrong purposes, and they kept it secret, what's the problem? Why do they have to break up? Sure, you could say, "well, they might abuse it in the future," but what can you do about that? You can't predict everything. In my opinion, they should have at least stayed together in private. I understand they couldn't in public, but Emma didn't have to break it off and then attempt to shred Julian to pieces by getting together with Mark.
On the subject of Mark...I really liked him. I loved his relationship with Kieran almost as much as I love Alec and Magnus. I wish they hadn't broken up, just like Emma and Julian. I understand that he wanted to stay with his family and that he couldn't go back to the Hunt with Kieran, but (again, like aforementioned parabatai) couldn't they have stayed together in secret? Sure, it's not much of a fun life, but isn't it better than nothing, especially if you love each other like they definitely do?
We needed more Drusilla. That's just a plain fact. I was floored with the fact that Clare included Dru and her self-esteem issues - it's something that every single girl (and guy) has gone through. I have felt exactly what Dru was feeling, and I wanted more of it, and more of Emma or another girl comforting her. I wanted her to get a guy friend her age that would boost her up and make her feel special. I really do hope there is more of her in the second and third books, otherwise it's wasted character potential.
Like I said, there were new elements in this book, one of which being Livvy wanting to be parabatai with her twin, Ty. I thought that was really cool - something we hadn't seen before. Another thing was the Scholomance and the Centurions. I thought that was a bit messy, but it was still nice to know that it existed. When you start a series that takes place five years after the last, it provides loads of opportunities to bring in new themes and settings, and these were a good start to more.
In the Notes on the Text section, Clare says she grew up in LA. I'm dubious about this because sandy sex scenes seem to be a recurring theme (Clary and Jace in CoHF, anyone?) and sand is a pain. Like, I've been to countless beaches. Sand itches. It sticks and gets in every crack, crevice, and hole. Nobody would want to hook up on the beach, unless they've got some kind of sand fetish. Make it more realistic, like Tessa and Will's scene! NO MORE BEACH SCENES.
Bringing back all the original characters in the end was legit. I'll always love seeing Magnus, but I do understand that this series does not revolve around him and the other originals, and I'm cool with that. I don't want a remix - I want mildly reminiscent, and that's what I got. A Long Conversation was great, and I'd love to know if Clary ends up saying yes to Jace or not. :>>>
In the end, this was, inevitably, a great addition to the Shadowhunters series. Like I said in the beginning, it is series like these that really win. Series that have layers upon layers of plot, character development, theme, etc. Series woven with just enough complexity that you keep guessing at what is going to happen, but not so much that you're just completely lost. Everyone should read it. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book...series...fanfiction...weeeeeeee...